The present invention relates to domestic pet and livestock feedstuffs. Substantially fully-inverted molasses in an extruded cereal meal matrix provides a partially elastic, partially deformable, chewy, non-crumbly structure which increases palatability and relieves dietary stress in young animals.
Dry animal feedstuff incorporating grain meals, animal byproducts, and sugars are widely available. Such conventional sugar-containing feeds are pelletized rather than extruded and are characteristically hard and brittle in texture. Some increased palatability of sugar-containing livestock feeds was noted as early as 1953 and many such feeds now on the market contain some sugar. Several problems, however, were immediately presented in the use of large quantities of sugar in livestock feeds. Sugar, including sucrose, molasses, or simple sugars such as glucose tends to cause an accumulation of water in the bowel leading to severe diarrhea especially in young animals such as piglets. This condition can be partially controlled by the addition of substantial amounts of inert fibers such as begasse pith to the feed (see Brooks & Iwanaga, J. Anim. Sci., 26:741 (1967)). However, addition of sugars to the young swine diet may have a profound effect on the digestibility of protein and fiber (Skipitaris, et al., J. Amin. Sci., 16:55 (1959)). Use of increased fiber to control diarrhea caused by sugar thus reduces the overall assimilation and nutritive value of the feed. Feed conversion studies in pigs demonstrates that utilization of the sugar is enhanced in feeds also containing whey of low lactose content. On the whole, the use of molasses and other sugar compounds in feedstuffs for young weanlings and older growing livestock has been disappointing. These animals (in addition to developing acute diarrhea) show regression in weight gain, intestinal irritations, and other evidence of difficulty in adjusting to the complete conversion from a sow's milk-based diet to commercial feed. Such dietary stress has not been overcome by the addition of sugars, despite the consequent increase in palatability.
In pet foods, sucrose or other sugars which reduce water activity have been incorporated conventionally into extruded products of 15% to 35% moisture, to effect bacteriostasis. In semi-soft or soft-dry (10% to 15% moisture) pet foods, a soft, palatable texture is achieved by use of glycerol, propylene glycol, and higher polyhydrins. Alternatively, substantial amounts of protein adhesives have been used to impart a stringy, fibrous, somewhat soft texture to dry foods, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,959,511.